Finding Peace
by Muragaragah
Summary: Something's bothering Austria. Hungary tries to find out but Prussia complicates things. Little does she know Prussia has feelings for her, though she obviously longs for Austria. Character death, short chapters. *BEING REWRITTEN.*
1. Intro

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Hetalia Axis Powers. Copyrights/credit goes to the series' creators/owners, not to me. :P It would probably be a little different if I owned it, haha.~_

_This fanfic is pretty sad little love triangle involving Austria, Hungary, and Prussia. This fic was inspired by a picture I found trolling zerochan. (PM me for the link if you're interested. It won't display right when I put it in here. x3)_

_Enjoy! Reviews are loved. ^o^_

Finding Peace…

Whispering strains of a plaintive piano floated through the hallways and rooms of Austria's home. The brunette's hands flew across the keys with a touch as gentle as dove wings, tapping the pedals near his feet occasionally to deepen the pianissimo quarter notes. Wintry sunlight poured through the three giant, arched windows that overlooked the slate blue ocean. Salt and pepper storm clouds lurked against the horizon, bordering the clear azure expanse of sky overhead.

Austria's dark violet eyes remained glued to the piano keys as he played, not noticing his close friend Hungary leaning against the ornate door frame. The shadow of a smile played across her expression, her emerald eyes gazing at Austria, touching on his chocolate-brown hair that hung to his chin, his ahoge that always managed to stand skyward, his focused expression, the distinguished cobalt suit complete with an ivory cravat wrapped snugly around his neck. She loved to hear him play the piano: it reminded her of a time when she and Austria were united, bonded together… though she longed for him, she always doubted that he felt the same anymore.

Austria glanced up suddenly, the music fading into silence. He wore a warm expression as he spoke. "Why don't you come and sit next to me, Hungary? I know you really like piano music."

_No… I really like _your_ piano music, silly… _"Thank you, Mr. Austria!" she chirped as she paced over, the full skirt of her viridian dress trailing across the hardwood floor.

A small smile upturned Austria's lips as Hungary perched beside him, laying the charcoal gray frying pan that she always carried around in her lap. His gaze shifted to the keys laid out before him, drumming out a fairly loud, lighthearted melody. The shifts from key to key, the slurs that bound a phrase of notes together, the leaps through octaves enveloped Hungary. Her mind recorded a shade of melody as she watched Austria play from the corner of her eye. She loved how his music softened him when he played, melting away the burden that ladened his shoulders.

The distinct sound of a door shutting echoed through the acoustic mansion: Hungary knew she should check to see who closed the door, yet she didn't want to leave Austria's side. Her eyes closed as she pretended not to hear the door, concentrating on the rich melody surrounding her. An image of a fragile pixie played through her mind as someone strode down the hall, following the dynamic music, their footfalls almost inaudible except for a quiet _click_ every now and again against the oaken floor. Hungary opened her eyes, her gaze flitting to the crook of Austria's right arm. Her dainty fingers began to reach for it; her fingertips came within centimeters of finally touching Austria before a deafening roar of low keys destroyed the lighthearted and playful melody.

Austria jerked suddenly as a familiar "Yo!" greeted them, the fabric of his jacket fleetingly brushing against Hungary's outstretched fingers. "Why do you always dash my hopes of trying to accomplish something, Prussia?" Austria questioned, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

A silvery-haired young man leaned against the obsidian grand piano, lifting his hand from the four lowest-pitched keys on the piano. An amused grin spread devilishly across his face, his crimson optics eyeing Austria. "Ruining things is one of my specialties," he replied nonchalantly.

"And to what do I owe this visit?" Austria asked, pushing his framed glasses back into their rightful place on his nose.

"Can't I just drop in unexpected sometimes?" Prussia responded with a question. "Besides, I wanted to see the ever-pretty Hungary."

Austria sighed, slipping out from the piano. "In other words, you're looking to cause trouble."

"That would be a bonus," Prussia sneered. As Austria turned and strutted out of the room, Prussia slid into the vacated spot beside Hungary. He raised a finger to one of the ivories in front of him, plucking out some resemblance of Beethoven's famous Ode to Joy motif. He felt something cool and unyielding nip the back of his head; his eyes traipsed over to Hungary, who held her frying pan behind his periphery. "Why must you always make Mr. Austria so mad, Prussia?"

The apples of his cheeks reddened slightly as she uttered his name. "I'm no good at anything except pranks. Besides, that old man needs to lighten up. He always looks like he has something shoved up his ass, if you ask me." His scarlet gaze fell once again to the still piano keys he had stopped playing when Hungary spoke.

Hungary sighed as obvious pain seeped into her voice. "Mr. Austria has given you so much—he even gave you a safe place to stay when you needed it most. Has it ever crossed your mind how heavy the burden is that he constantly carries? You've done nothing for him but frustrate him and make a fool of yourself with your stupid tricks. You… you make me sick."

Prussia's eyes bulged in surprise, his sight snapping up to Hungary as she stood. Her head hung as she padded quickly out of the room, no doubt off to find Austria. He had never expected that Hungary was even capable of speaking so venomously. A turbulent wave of pain crashed against Prussia as an emotional tsunami enveloped him. Self-loathing punctuated his thoughts: _why do I have to act so stupid in front of her all the time? I hate myself for caring so much… about a girl that completely hates me…_

He shook his head to regain his composure as he slid the piano bench back, hopping to his feet and leaving the room. He pictured Hungary in his abyssal mind as memories of a pleasant time long since past flashed behind his eyes. He loved the way the serene spring breeze would tousle her mocha hair as she fetched water from a nearby stream; how her entire face would illuminate when she smiled on balmy summer nights, when Austria decided to play the violin on the lawn; how the hues of autumn would dance in her perfect chartreuse eyes; how her slender frame would tremble as icy snowflakes floated down from the heavens around her.

A sharp soprano squeal broke Prussia's reverie as someone smacked into him. His eyes flashed down to find Hungary amongst a heap of spilled music pages. He bent down and pulled the sheet music into a stack before standing, extending a hand to Hungary. His face grew hot as their eyes met: he recognized the vague puffiness that rimmed her glimmering eyes while she took his hand and was pulled to her feet—he knew she had been crying. "T-Thanks, Prussia," she muttered as he handed her the stack of music. "I-I'm sorry about earlier… I didn't mean to be so cold to you. I was just angry because—"

Prussia pressed a finger to her lips, automatically silencing her. He leaned in slowly, haunted by the tenuous scent of wildflowers mixed with spice as he whispered, "It doesn't matter. Look, I need to talk to you later. Could I meet you in the piano room tonight?"

Hungary's eyes widened in surprise. "Y-Yes, no problem. What time did you have in mind?"

"Nine," he muttered before jerking away from her hastily: he couldn't besmirch this moment.

"I-I'll meet you then," Hungary replied shakily before treading away, her face tinted rose.

A sigh of relief heaved in Prussia's chest. _Thank God I didn't screw that up,_ he silently congratulated himself, a sly grin breaking across his face. He tore out of the mansion before he was struck with the urge to break something: he couldn't ruin tonight.


	2. Shot Down

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Hetalia Axis Powers. Copyrights/credit goes to the series' creators/owners, not to me. :P_

Austria pushed the untouched bowl of steaming soup away from himself, swiveling about-face in his desk chair to face the gargantuan arched window that occupied most of the wall. Argentine moonlight twinkled in the midnight ocean water as waves chopped its surface. He shivered at the thought of how frigid that water would be in the dead of winter. No stars flecked the sky that night: unseen clouds blanketed the bleak winter sky, having not yet overtaken the sentinel-like gibbous moon. The door of his study creaked open as dainty footsteps padded across the room. Austria knew who it was as Hungary's eloquent voice broke the pervading quiet. "What's wrong, Mr. Austria? You haven't touched your dinner."

A melancholy sigh broke her heart. "I just have some things weighing on my mind…" his royal purple gaze trailed down to the sturdy dock that jutted out from the beach below.

Hungary fought the scorching urge to dash over to Austria, wrap her arms around him like she did in sepia-tinted days of the past, and assure him that everything would eventually work itself out. "Do you need anything?" Worry laced her words.

"No, no… thank you for asking. Please, if you would, I fancy some time alone to think." He reached for his beloved cherry wood violin and bow, displayed proudly on a stand behind his desk.

"A-All right. Please don't hesitate to come get me if you need anything." Her yellow-green eyes stared at the back of Austria's head for a moment, hoping he would turn around to face her… she headed out of the room as he glared thoughtfully at the lone dock, absently plucking his violin's tuned E string.

Hungary ambled straight to the piano room, gingerly holding the skirt of her dress so she wouldn't stumble. Prussia stood with his back against one of the arched windows, his hands jammed into his pockets. "Hungary… you came." Nervousness pumped his pulse as he mentally reviewed what he was going to say to her.

"Of course," she replied distantly, a weak smile twitching the corners of her mouth but leaving her eyes untouched.

He closed the gap between them with a few streamlined strides. Rouge danced across his cheeks as he began. "Hungary, I've been meaning to tell you… something…"

Her peridot eyes searched his, trying to decipher the meaning behind his uncharacteristically shaky tone. She had never seen this somehow fearful side of Prussia before. A memory of his overly confident visage flickered across her mind: she had always envied the confidence that seemed to roll off of him in waves. She nodded for him to continue, watching his blood red eyes.

He reached out and tousled her mousy hair, his smoldering eyes falling into her nebulous, forest-tinted pools. Her cheeks flushed fuchsia from his unexpected touch. "I've been meaning to tell you this for a long time, but I could never find the courage to say it when Austria was around."

Something moved outside, framed by the window. Hungary's eyes carefully focused on it from the edge of her periphery without breaking contact with Prussia. It appeared to be a man, standing on the sturdy dock that jutted out into the ocean. Something white hung from his neck, contrasting his dark clothes… a piece of frilled cloth…

"I've been meaning to say," Prussia began again, leaning in, his face hovering inches from Hungary's, "… that I lo—"

Bated, flat strains of a violin completely derailed his thoughts as he paused for a moment. Hungary eyes the figure on the beach as realization struck. "M-Mr. Austria's outside! I'm sorry, Prussia, but I have to go!"

Hungary pivoted about-face and flew out of the room as cold fingers coiled around Prussia. His head dropped as his eyes stung with an astonishing presence: he wiped them as a lukewarm, clear fluid streamed down his cheeks. Only then, as his hope of ever winning Hungary over shattered to pieces around him, did he realize he was crying.


	3. Finale

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Hetalia Axis Powers. Copyrights/credit goes to the series' creators/owners, not to me. :P_

Miniscule droplets of frigid water plummeted to Earth in a light drizzle, speckling the polished face of Austria's violin. The rain granted an ethereal quality to his somber melody, drawing the bow across the strings. He faced the choppy surface of the ocean, his gaze bouncing across the crests of each wave that slammed into the damp shore. The music engulfed his entire being, tugging him into a transient embrace; he did not notice the feeble footsteps tramp across the ground, the concerned celadon gaze that bored holes into his back, until her angelic voice penetrated the music. "Austria! Why did you come out here? It's freezing tonight!"

"I needed a quiet place to collect my thoughts, away from the house," he replied, still facing the churning ocean.

"Please! Tell me what has been weighing on your mind for days now!" Hungary pleaded, trotting over to him as he set his violin and bow on the saturated dock beside his feet.

Austria spun around to her, his hands grasping hers as his electric eyes trembled, turmoil tearing away his carefully composed façade. "I-I've been so distracted recently… I can't concentrate at all on work or even on writing music. All I've wanted to do… is to be close to you…"

Her hands shook slightly in his comforting grasp. She had expected far worse, ranging from losing a friendship to another country threatening to invade his barely stable country. Relief mixed with surprise accelerated her fluttering heart. She gazed up into his eyes, the same purple hue that she had fallen into countless times in days gone by, as she mused, "You can always be close to me, Austria… I will always be within arm's reach. I always have been…"

"N-No," Austria shook his head, "you misunderstand me. Hungary… my heart aches because… I miss you by my side. It's as if half of my heart has disappeared, ever since our unity ended all those decades ago…"

Tears welled unconsciously in Hungary's eyes. "Y-You don't know… you'll never know… how much I've missed you, Austria…"

One of Austria's hands let go of Hungary's, reaching up to caress her cheek. "I want… to unify with you again… I can't stand another day separated from you, Hungary."

His fingertip grazed her cheek, brushing away the fugitive tear that slid down her cheek. "Let us unify once again… my Austria."

A smile, unfamiliar compared to the despondent expression that clouded his countenance these past few days, brightened his face. He barely acknowledged the icy rain that soaked his earthy hair, the rushed footfalls squelching against newly-formed mud as his eyes lidded, leaning down just inches away from Hungary's face. He breathed in her spicy wildflower scent that lingered, one remnant of the past that survived through all of the decades punctuated with tension and turmoil since the dissolution of their unification. His lips claimed hers as their eyes shut: it felt as if nothing had ever changed between them, as if the transparent wall that had disconnected them for immeasurable years had never existed.

Something thudded against the waterlogged sand, snapping them away from each other to look to the left. Prussia stood a few steps away from the dock, a bouquet of wildflowers lying against the sand. His hands balled into fists at his side as he darted toward them, an agonized cry ripping from his throat. Austria thought that Prussia would collide into him, but the light-haired young man flew past him, flinging himself into the rippling, abyssal slate waters. "No, Prussia!" Austria screamed as he moved toward the ocean, but stopped as Hungary's arms encircled him, clinging to his frame. Prussia's silver hair disappeared underneath the surface as he let the salty water fill his lungs, his limp body tossed around by the current: his faceted ruby eyes closed as he let himself go, the ocean dragging his body down into its pitch black heart.

"No, Austria! I will not lose you too!" Hungary cried, burying her face into his back as her body quivered, low sobs emanating from her.

Austria slid his glasses off and pocketed them, a hand shielding his eyes. _Why…?_ He removed his hand as torrents of rain sheeted from above, his eyes scanning the ocean for any sign of Prussia. After a few long moments had passed, he turned as Hungary unbound him: her clothes were completely drenched, her hair slicked against her head. "Come on… let's go inside before we catch a cold, Hungary…"

Austria stooped and picked up his violin and bow, suddenly tossing them into the ocean. He didn't stop to watch his beloved instrument sink as he laced his fingers through hers, towing her to the mansion. Hungary managed to pick up the bouquet of wildflowers as they passed. A sodden ivory card protruded from the center of the flowers, amongst shades of yellow and purple: fresh tears stung her eyes as she read the message, scrawled quickly across the surface in Prussia's handwriting. _I love you, Hungary, even though I'm a no-good trickster that could never compete with Austria. I needed to tell you before I ran out of time. – Prussia_

Hungary could almost hear Prussia utter those words. "You didn't… have to… s-sacrifice your own time, P-Prussia. You were wrong… your time didn't run out… you outran your own t-time."

Tears cascaded down her face: she let her sobs be heard, echoing through the halls of the mansion for the first time in her existence. Austria found her crumpled on her knees against the freezing hardwood floor of the piano room; he bolted to her, crashing to his knees and pulling her into a tender embrace. He patted her head and rubbed her back soothingly. "Let it out," he murmured into her ear, gazing out of the window, across the black water as the rain ceased to pound against the windowpanes. The clouds dissipated overhead, revealing a muted blue sky dappled with stars, as the gibbous moon began to sink under the eternal horizon.

_Fin. _


End file.
